Traveling in Romania (and Why You Should Go Right Now)

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Most people don't necessarily equate “Romania” with “cool travel destination.”

This Eastern European country between Hungary and Bulgaria isn't usually a place people have high up on their must-visit lists. Romania is where communism and vampires live — not somewhere you travel to for fun. Right?

Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

While Romania is still developing after the fall of Ceausescu and communism (and most will say communism hasn't fully left), it's a much easier and interesting place to travel than you probably realize.

(And, for the record, I didn't see a single vampire while I was there.)

Romania, in short, blew me away. I had been looking forward to traveling there for years, but the country far exceeded my expectations. And here's why:

Why You Should Travel to Romania Right Now

It's affordable

Cheaper even than the Czech Republic and Hungary, Romania should be attractive just because of its price tag. Everything from accommodation to transport to food is affordable. Even the “touristy” places are far from expensive.

For example, in Brasov — one of Romania's top tourist destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists — entry to the major attraction (Bran Castle) was only $7 USD for an adult ticket with photo license. The most expensive meal I had in the country (at a really posh restaurant) was $12 — the cheapest was less than $3. You can only imagine how cheap beer was.

It's beautiful

The countryside, the medieval cities, the people… Romania has plenty of surprises in store.

Cities like Sighisoara and Brasov are ridiculously attractive and colorful, and the rolling countryside remains largely untouched in most parts of the country. And the locals? Lovely people who will undoubtedly be happy to see you and happier still to talk to you about their country.

It's relatively easy to travel

One of the biggest surprises for me was how easy it was to get around Romania. The country is fairly well-connected by trains, buses, and planes to the rest of Europe, and you can even use your Eurail pass here.

And, out of all the public trains and buses I rode while in Romania, only one was old and slightly dirty. Most were newer and clean — some even had air conditioning! And the best part? Every single train and bus I rode actually ran on time! (Not necessarily always the case, of course, but no delays in a week is pretty good.)

Most people speak English

Adding to the ease of travel is the fact that almost everyone in the country speaks at least a little English — especially those in the younger generations. This makes it easy to not only travel in Romania, but also to get to know the locals a bit.

It's not too crowded yet

Because Romania (and, really, most of Eastern Europe) is quite a ways off the usual tourist trail, even the “touristy” places feel relaxed and welcoming — even in high season. The only place I really found to be crowded was Bran Castle — but there are plenty of better things/places to see anyway.

Old traditions survive

Since Romania isn't teeming with tourists, older traditions — like making homemade schnapps and weaving and woodcarving — are still going strong.

It's ready for tourism

Because of the above reasons and more, Romania is very much ready for tourism.

Bucharest has a brand new subway system and buses equipped with GPS-enabled screens. Villages like Viscri are converting old heritage buildings into home stays. And nearly everywhere offers visitors free wifi access.

But this won't all last, of course. As the country continues to develop and Romania's economy improves (likely to happen once it officially joins the Schengen zone soon), many of these reasons may become irrelevant.

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I'm a former-journalist-turned blogger from a small town in Ohio. I've been blogging about travel since 2010, and seek to inspire people to be curious and adventurous and find ways to fit more travel into the lifestyle they already have.

What a great post! I actually went to Romania in the summer of 1989, just months before the people ousted (and murdered) Ceausescu. It was a beautiful country then, but the control of the communist govt was everywhere. I look forward to checking it out again with new eyes…and maybe this time, Bram’s Castle won’t be under renovations. We couldn’t see hardly any of it.

Susan, not the people ‘murdered’ Ceausescu’.
It’s not Bram’s Castle but Bran Castle.
And last but not least, you really should come back to Romania. It has changed a lot, although there are still plenty of untouched locations in the countryside. If you love nature, you will like it.
Come and see today’s Romania, you will always be welcome.

Visited Romania in 2007 and again in 2008 (LOVED it both times). Visited for one month in 2007 and three months in 2008 (now I am considering a retirement there in the northern city of Baia Mare). The people of Romania are the friendliest and. I’ve made great friends there.
Thanks for your travel insight, it brought back fond memories :)) (for sure) … all of the places you’ve mentioned I’ve been to, remember to visit Peles Castle YOU’LL LOVE IT!

As a romanian teenager from Baia Mare,it’s incredibly pleasing to hear that foreigners would like to live here.
Since 2007,the city has developed enormously and it has gotten more tourist-friendly.Seeing that people actually want to visit our cities makes me want to stay home for college.

I should have gone last year when I had a friend from there to visit! It’s been on my list for a while, but I’m happy to see that you also recommend it. Next time I’m in Europe it will have to be on my list!

I’m heading back to Europe soon and have been thinking about spending some time in the East. I’ve never been there and have been avoiding it because I figured it would be a little on the expensive side, but apparently that’s not the case, at least not in Romania. I think you may have given me the final push needed. Time to do some research…

Love Romania was married there in march 2010 seen Brasov, Bucharest, and Costanta love winter weather and was just as happy as can be. Been back twice since and love the currency exchange and the fact i got married march 1 st which is a RO holiday

couldnt agree more!!! I loved Romania. I had never even heard of it before I went there. its also a real eye opener to the world of communism since it wasn’t so long ago that they were a communist country.

I’m going to be in England for a wedding next summer, and am trying to plan some sort of European trip around it. I was thinking Austria/Germany, but all these Eastern European posts definitely have me intrigued (and I like the sounds of the price tag!)

I will definitely visit Romania and soon too! I really would love to experience that “old Europe” feel before it becomes too touristy. All your pictures have sold me on this exceptionally beautiful country but I really want to see a vampire 🙂

Hmm, I’m afraid I don’t really have any other tours to recommend, since I’ve only been to Romania with Intrepid. I realize that an 18-day tour might be too long, though! My advice would be to do some searching online, or maybe even try talking to a local travel agent?

There really aren’t too many places I don’t want to travel to, especially in Europe, so this has been on my list for awhile simply because it’s THERE. But your post helps explain all the great reasons to visit, and I’d really love to go see it all for myself!

I wish I could get up and go there RIGHT NOW, but I have another 7.5 months left on my contract. It’ll have to wait until next summer. Romania has always been high up on my list of places I really, really want to visit and your post here has solidified that. The countryside looks stunning, the towns look so, so beautiful and colourful, and I like how you say it isn’t swarming with tourists just yet.

Definitely go when you can!! I’m not sure Romania will ever be as popular as, say, Germany or Spain, but I think people WILL start traveling more there soon – especially once the secret is out about how awesome it is!

Hello everyone!:) i’m romanian and i read some comments. i’m glad that most of you are very happy to visit my country.
but most of people know Romania as the ex-communist and the Dracula’s land but belive me here are more awesome places to visit, for example the Danube delta. is the second largest delta in Europe or the old center of Bucharest,and something interesting is at the Museum of History (is in Bucharest) where you can see gold bracelets made 2000 years ago by the Dacians, our old ancestors.

Ah, but I think those tourist numbers will begin to rise – especially once the secret gets out! But hopefully it won’t become TOO popular. I mean, you wouldn’t want to be the next France or Spain, would you??

I’m really glad you enjoyed Romania! Too bad I did not find out about your blog earlier, otherwise I would have offered you a city tour in Bucharest…maybe next time! 🙂 Also, thanks for spreading the word about Romania, it gets more negative press than it deserves.

[…] 5 Things to Love About Sighisoara, Romania When the Cows Come Home City Spotlight: Brasov, Romania Traveling in Romania (and Why You Should Go Right Now) A Tale of Two Capitals: Bucharest and Sofia This is Bulgaria?!? Rila Monastery, In Photos My […]

[…] ending in Bucharest, the country’s capital. I was blown away by how relatively easy it was to travel in Romania, along with the wealth of things to see and do there. I’ll definitely be back someday. Pretty […]

I loved your post. I’m turning 45 this year and it has been my life long dream to visit Romania. I finally decided 2013 is the year and this July I will be spending a week in this beautiful land. I already had it planned, but your post just proved to me why I dreamed of going there. Most people don’t even know where the country is or that Transylvania is actually a REAL place.:) I’m so glad you had fun there; I’m sure I will, too.

Wow! Romania wasn’t at the very top of my list but the pics make it look very inviting. You also make some very convincing arguments of why now is the best time. It looks like the countryside alone is worth the trip. Can’t wait to get back to Eastern Europe so we can explore Romania. 🙂

[…] been a surprisingly good approach to traveling. It has left me pleasantly surprised in places like Romania and Bulgaria; in Iceland and Slovenia. I’ve made some great memories, and learned a few […]

[…] Of course no. After a simple and quick search, everything I could find online is how you can travel in Romania, not how is travel in Romania. And because I am the most sensitive guy on the planet, who previously lived on a puffy cloud I’m asking myself how can I avoid being molested by Dracula, bears, heat wave, dogs etc. because Romania is where communism and vampires live — not somewhere you travel to for fun. […]

Thanks for liking our country so much, Amanda! 🙂 Makes me feel proud to be a Romanian, as I’ve never been before! You should try to visit the northern part of the country, next time you come here, and I specifically suggest you come to Bukovina, the place of so many traditions and hospitable people, and the landscape is awesome, too! 🙂
Maybe one day I get to visit Ohio, and USA in general, I’ve been wanting that since I was a child!
Greetings from Romania,
Catalina

Hi there,
You did a great job with this post and as a Romanian I need to thank you for the awesome articles you did about our country!
I just want to add something: you found no vampires in Romania? That’s strange, as all Romanians are vampires 🙂 Just check this website- http://allromaniansarevampires.com/ – and you will find why (together with other interesting info about the country and its people).

Hey. I’m Romanian and I have traveled a little around Europe and I can assure you that I have never seen more beautiful natural places than in my country (yet).
I totally agree this article, but i would like to make one observation: if you plan using trains for traveling, have a lot of patience. It depends a lot on the route, of course, but still… Some trains can get more than 2 hours (very very rarely) delay .

Uau, I am from Romania and I am stunned to see your optimism about traveling in Romania – it’s remarkable! Thank you for this great advertisement! There are lots of cheap and interesting places to visit in Romania indeed and tourists are (almost) welcome anytime.

Thank you so much for the wonderful review you gave my country. Yes, we are friendly to everyone as long as they are friendly to us. Therefore, all tourists are more than welcomed.
My tip for all you future travellers is to get off the beaten road. You’ll find Lotus flowers on a thermal lake near Oradea (nord-west part of the country) and amazing old churches and monasteries in the whole eastern part. The Danube Delta is full of mosquitoes, but a good spray will allow you to discover a UNESCO world heritage site. Tragu Jiu is the place to check out and see where God gave man the power to bring a piece of heaven to Earth if you’re interested in some art too.
I do have one request though: When you check out a museum, or anything of the sort, please pay the full $3-$7 entrance fee and the $5 photo-video fee. It means nothing to a westerner but it’s the difference between keeping a small museum open or closing it. Don’t be the family with made up badges that asks to enter for free since $12 for 4 people is nothing. We’ll let you in with a smile on our faces but you’ll hurt these friendly people more than you know and not just because of the money.
Thanks again
PS: I’m sure everyone here is nothing like that family, but spread the word as that was unfortunately not the only incident.

Hi there,
first of all thanks for the beautiful things that you wrote about my country. It is indeed a beautiful country who surely can/will surprise anyone who will visit it.
I would like to point some additional things also.
Not only english is spreaded among the new generations. There are a lot of people, especially in center and north Romania, who speak german. There are also a lot of people who can at least understand spanish and italian.
I would also recommend you the Danube delta, which is still wild and untouched by the civilisation. Mamaia sea resort, which rivals much known resorts like Ibiza. Peles castle which is not to far away from Bran castle, Sighisoara of course, Sibiu, the monasteries in Bucovina, Maramures. In Bucharest I would strongly recommend the old city center (newly restored), The Parliament Palace (“People House” as many romanians still call it) and the Village Museum. You could also hike and you’ll be very surprised how wild our forests still are (bears, foxes, wolves are something pretty common if you’ll gonna camp in tent).

P.S. It is very possible to be bothered by some things, most of them inherited from our communist past, but if you could ignore them, you’ll discover a beautiful country with nice people. After all the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. 🙂

If u go to romania when all muslims are on “ramadam” u’ll be surprised how many english/americans u’ll find in bucharest just drinking and having fun, transforming old center of bucharest in an very large pub….

Amanda, thank you for all the kind, beautiful words. It’s nice to see once in a while warm thoughts on Romania, and not just the usual gypsy, horse meat, vampires propaganda. 🙂 It is indeed a beautiful country and I’m not just saying it because I’m a local, but rather because of my travel experiences of the past few years: I left my home country hating it and I returned just to fall in love with it for the first time.

allready posted some tips for you if you want to return to Romania (or if others want to come here) ina ddition to that, I think you shoul visit the North-Eastern area (Moldova region – not to be confused with The Republic of Moldova) which has plenty of amazing monasteries, churches and the romantic city of Iasi/Jassy and the mountain area Valea Prahovei/Prahova Valley, which lies between Brasov and Bucharest (btw Bucharest is also an interesting place to see, although, unlike the rest of Romania, it is kinda crowded and traffic is a pain unless you use the subway)

We’re going next week and can’t wait… in great part our excitement is due to a Romanian man we met while finding a couchsurfing.com stay. He’s been helpful, fun, sweet, and oh so good about explaining so many things. I agree, Romania’s the place to be, and I haven’t even been there, yet.

I am really glad that you came to Romania and you like it.
I am from Romania and I can not get enough of it’s beauty.

Romania is blessed with all kinds of touristic attractions. You shuld come back one day and visit the rest of Romania.
You have to visit The Muddy Volcanoes (I think that they are unique in the world), Bukovina with it’s monesteries with exterior paintings, Danube Delta (amaizing), Danube river, the sea side.

Romania has lot of potential for turism. You should come again. You have lot of others to discover!

Glad you liked it here in our quaint little country. 😀
If you want to see real beauty however, I would recommend our mountains (Bucegi ones are the most accessible). The paths aren’t paved or anything and you have to be a little fit to climb, but it’s really not that difficult and it’s well worth it. To get the most of this experience I’d recommend spending the night in a mountain cabin. Malaiesti cabin is one of my personal favorites. It’s amazing there during summer. 😀

Hy! The article its very nice! I’m a roumanian, 24 years old, and I admit that this year i visited my country, I was only in Europe in my vacation! Visit Bran castle, Peles castle, Rasnov castle, Sighisoara, Brasov, Constanta who is on the Black Sea, Tulcea(from where you cand go to the Danube Delta, the wildest and the beautiful place in the world, if someone needs a recomendetion for 4-5 stars hotels, please contact me*

If you are interested in castles and history I recommend in Hunedoara, the Hunyad Castle that was part of Principality of Transylvania, and it’s believed to be the place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Dracula) was held prisoner for 7 years after he was deposed in 1462. The castle is a relic of the Hunyadi dynasty. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque and Renaissance architectural elements. It is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely colored roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone: http://www.castelulcorvinilor.ro/en/

I can not believe anyone has not mentioned the Transfagarasan Highway, National Road 7C. This is one of the greatest roads to drive threw the mountains. At the top there is a long tunnel that leads to Balea Lake with hotels to accomodate. Be sure to check out the some of the Penseuna “Hotels” at the bottom of the mountain. Great food, super views, dirt cheap, and hearing the sound of the water coming off the mountain is so relaxing. Be sure to order some Mititei and a cold Silvia Negra or a Ursus Black. You will thank me later! Bran is cool and ride the lift in Brasov. Make sure you get a GPS……………… As an American I look forward to going back!

Not any kind of road. Those from Top Gear (the greatesc tv show about car) said that Transfagarasan is The best driving road in the world. The intresting fact is that meanwhile in Romania has been opened a new amaizing road through the mountains: Transalpina (reaching the maximum altitude of 2145 metres and having a history of over 2000 years). Another reason to visit again Romania 🙂

Is interesting that after days of traveling on your post is one single picture with humans being, and that one with gypsies. Romanians are not Romani people, for the God sake. Have you not learn that in your expensive schools?

First of all, just because there’s only one photo in THIS post with people in it doesn’t mean I didn’t take others. And, secondly, my “expensive schools” have taught me that people are people, no matter what race or nationality they are. Those little girls were sweet and adorable and asked me to take their photo, so I did. And they live in Romania, so as far as I’m concerned they absolutely belong in this post.

Exactly. We all are people of God.We are all borned equal; but what you write in the comment please told other travellers that are disrespecting us when we travell. Me like Romanian I am facing many difficulties when travelling around Europe for example. People says that all romanians are gypsies. But Roma people is just an etinicity. And the fact that you put an picture with them, a single, make people makes people believe that we all are the same. Not many people achived to visit Romania. Please stop putting pictures on internet with poor kids,and dirty places. I know we are not perfect, bet we try our best. No country is perfect. I hightly recommend you to try to visit other regions of Romania, and bring other friends with you. Maybe like this you will learn more about us; what you see is different from what you read; you are a travel blogger; we have some influence; people reads your post, and form on opinion; in Europe we confrunt discrimination. A picture offers a mesage to its readers. Please put pictures with real Romania.

Ana, have a look at the whole bunch of other posts I’ve written about Romania – with TONS of other photos. Perhaps even some of this “real Romania” that you mention.

And, as far as photos of “poor kids and dirty places,” you will find very few of those on this blog. I really like Romania and frequently recommend it to other travelers. I’m sorry if you were somewhat offended by this post; no one else has been.

If you ever visit Romania again, be sure to get in touch with me, and we can have a chit chat with the other female bloggers in Bucharest. 😀

We have a pretty large bloggers’ community. And this applies to every female/male blogger out there who decides to visit us.

By the way, there’s a Facebook Page about “273 places to see before you leave Romania” https://www.facebook.com/273.ro . You should definitely check it out as “273 places to see when you visit Romania”, as well. *happy face*

We would be very happy if you all returned to Romania to help you with our car rental company.Only we know the old routes in Transilvania and Bucovina.The Transylvanian Saxon churches and monasteries from Bucovina.!We are proud to have you as guests!

Thank you for visiting our country, I hope you had a great time here, but I have 2 objections:
a) Romania is in Central Europe, not in Eastern Europe… it is placed at exactly equal distance (2900 km) from the most Western point (Portugal), the most Eastern point (Ural Mountains) and the most Northern point (Norway) of Europe.
b) you have travelled only in Transylvania, the biggest region of Romania. But it is true, Transylvania is the most beautiful part of Romania, in the rest you don’t have anything interesting to see in the other regions excepting Transfagarasan road, the Black Sea seaside and the monasteries of Bukovina (which are amazing!!!)
Thank you for liking our country! I hope you will return one day! 🙂

That building is no-one’s pride but the naivest and the uninformed, Andreea Soare.
Architecturally it’s a big blob of kitsch, it’s uglier than all jokes with “yo momma” condensed in one. It was built on blood – no Romanian should ever FORGET – where that ugly building stands and that large boulevard in front of it opens up, there it was the oldest, most beautiful, most charming residential part of Bucharest – streets paved with cobbler stones or wood logs.
Have you ever seen (or even heard of) streets paved 200 years ago with round logs buried in the ground vertically after they were soaked in very fluid bitumen to make them weather proof and century lasting, and the entire street had thousands of round circles on it? I did, in Bucharest, before the dictator erased everything!
The logs were cut from tree trunks no wider than 15-20 cm in diameter and lasted forever…and they were so quiet in the traffic… as wood absorbs sound and doesn’t refract it onto the walls of the buildings.
Those streets had houses and churches built 3-400 years ago and Romania’s oldest hospital in a majestic old building with marble and mosaic floors, and intricate architectural details inside and out.
Those streets were lined with huge linden trees or huge poplars or chestnut trees and oak trees and they were so old, some of those trees stood there for 300-500 years, as once upon a time immemorial there were thick forests there! Some of those trees were true remnants of those forests.
That area was so gorgeous you wanted to spend weeks exploring it.
Here and there there were very old tiny private restaurants in little gardens with 4-5 tables only, under lilac trees or laced gazebos and they served delicatessen of all sorts that one could experience only in that area.
Between the cobbler stones, thick green moss was growing and the houses were covered in all sorts of flowering creepers and wines and climbing roses and in spring, all those linden trees and chestnut trees flowered and the air was sweet and the streets looked like parks – one could hardly see the houses through that greenery.
And all that was erased by bulldozers in few months in the Seventies and nothing was saved or even photographed for posterity (!!) or inventoried or rebuilt.
It lives in my memory like a never healing wound.
Shame on anyone who prizes that ugly, useless and expensive building, it’s like praising an abattoir.
I hate that building – it is tasteless, or better: it is in very poor taste and it killed half historical Bucharest to be erected as a megalomaniac monument to a tyrant.

Our stories of discovery are similar.
I met a nice woman on “YouTube”. We were discussing a piece of music by a modern Romanian band.
I liked her and we exchanged email addresses. After a few emails I discovered my initial opinion and belief were correct. She and I had similar morals and ethics. I felt she was perfect.
Anyway, I said I would love to meet her and she suggested I caught a plane to Bucuresti.
THAT was the reason I visited and immediately fell in love with initially Bucuresti and later, Romania.
To impress my new girlfriend, I have researched enough info for a university thesis. I have also taught myself some limba Romana.
Imi place Romania!
Peter.

I regularly thank Laura (the nice woman, who I love) for introducing me to Romania.
In my research, I have discovered the extreme depth of history and tradition to be appreciated. When you realise that since the Romans invaded Dacia and Thrace, the modern Romanian region has been the most invaded countryside in Europe and possibly the world!
This can be authenticated by a visit to a Romanian restaurant. You will see dishes like schnitzel and strudel from Austria, goulash from Hungary, moussaka from Greece, sauerkraut from Germany, mamaliga / polenta from Italy, stroganov from Poland / Russia, kebabs from Turkey… the list is endless!

Well the moussaka isn`t greek at all ( The English name came from modern Greek mousakás (μουσακάς). The Greek name came from the Turkish musakka designating roughly the same recipe. The same name and recipe is found throughout the lands that formerly were part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The Turkish name came from Arabic musaqa‘h (مسقعة), which in Arabic means moussaka but comes from an Arabic root literally meaning “chilled”.[1] In Arabic countries a variant of the same recipe is eaten cold. A popular Middle Eastern recipe called İmam bayıldı (it has that name in Turkish, Arabic and Greek) is eaten cold and is similar to moussaka. Moussaka is eaten warm – wikipedia ).

Polenta might be an latin name but the recipe was used largely in europe since ancient time. This is not making it an italian food. wikipedia says about mamaliga : Mămăligă (Romanian pronunciation: [məməˈliɡə]) is a porridge made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania and Moldova. It is similar to the Italian polenta. Historically a peasant food, it was often used as a substitute for bread or even as a staple food in the poor rural areas. However, in the last decades it has emerged as an upscale dish available in the finest restaurants.
Roman influence[edit]
Historically, porridge is the oldest form of consumption of grains in the whole of humanity, long before the appearance of bread. Originally, the seeds used to prepare slurries were very diverse as millet or einkorn.
Before the introduction of maize in Europe in the 16th century, mămăligă had been made with millet flour, known to the Romans as pulmentum. Moreover, the Romans ate so much of it that the Greeks called them pultiphagonides (porridge eaters). <— Romans ate a lot. This doesn`t ment they invented the porridge since it was available since the dawns of humanity, got the point?

Same as pizza : The word pizza (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpittsa], from the Latin verb pìnsere, to press and from the Greek pēktos, πηκτός, meaning "solid" or "clotted") [b][i]is Greek in origin [/b][/i](see also pitta). The ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs and cheese. In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled πίτα, pita, or πίττα, pitta, meaning pie. The word has also spread to Romanian as pită, Turkish as pide,[2] and Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian as pita, Albanian as pite and Modern Hebrew pittāh.[3]
Modern pizza originated in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread. – wikipedia. It is invented in italy? They made it famous with modernised receipe , that is another thing. Just as british made famous the curry. Btw, do the british invaded japan? Because curry is traditional here too since 19th century. Introducing a food in a country is not similar with conquest / invasion. See the "famous" american apple pie`s origins. Or Chop suey`s . And kebab is not traditional nor found in all restaurants in Romania! Same as stroganoff`s.

Wow, Alex, slow it down man!
First there was the Greek culture, the Greek agriculture, the Greek cuisine, the Greek pharmacology, the Greek city states and then the Arabs and the Ottomans came, gave up their nomadic style and started cooking and farming – at least about 1000 years later! Neither the ancient Arabs or the ancient Turks were renown for farming! LOL
Put it into the real perspective.
If you would have shown the history of porridge (in fact who the hell cares?) as being inherited FROM THE EGYPTIANS, I would have accepted it as true. But the Greeks did not take food stuff from the Ottomans or Arabs – it was the other way around, as the Greek civilization is the oldest, and not the others.

Thank you for this article and because you promote my country. Romania is a very beautiful country. And I hope to be interesting for tourists from all over the world. There are so many place “must to see”: The Monasteries from Moldova, Danube Delta, the medieval cities: Sighisoara, Brasov, Sibiu; the beautiful castle: Bran, Peles, Mogosoaia, Huniade ans so on; the austro-hungarian old cities:Timisoara, Arad, Oradea; the mountain splendors of Cheile Nerei, Transalpina, Transfagaras; the old Mures Velley castles. Thank you again.

It’s just great to see all these enthusiastic comments about a country I love. Some friends and I have been trying to offset the current negative British press which has been spawned by a fear of being swamped by ‘Gypsy thieves’ after 1st Jan 2014 when Romanians and Bulgarians will be able to work in the UK without restrictions. We are frustrated by the lack of oomph shown by the Romanian tourism ministry when there are so many fantastic things to see in their country. I have written two guide books and have two blogs about Romania, which I visit every year, sometimes two or three times, because it is so amazing to find a place where you can feel free as a human being. You are right that too much tourism could spoil this balance, and there is a great deal of poverty-if you measure poverty by British standards. But as I learnt many years ago in the Maramures, you don’t need fast cars and expensive houses and clothes to be happy. Life can be very tough, but also very fulfilling, as I’ve discovered by living with Romanian shepherds. So glad you all want to go to Romania- hope to see some of you there, getting that depth of experience I’ve had the privilege to share!

A spot on judgement by Caroline!
The beauty is everywhere and in everything, including most Romanian people. I have made more friends in Bucuresti than back home in England (family excluded, of course!)
The depth of tradition and history is breathtaking.
My Bucurestian lady friend may also have something to do with it…. :-))

One good reason to AVOID Romania – It’s a land of animal cruelty!!! Why would anyone like to visit a place, where the government allows the massacre of dogs?
No, thank you – there are far better places to go to in a CIVILIZED part of this world.

A civilized person from a civilized country would never write something like that on a traveling blog. I hope you will read about the way you managed to get rid of your stray dogs. Every country had stray dogs at some point. What do you think that happend to them? Dissapeared in thin air? Have a great day.

I have a friend in Romania who is inviting me to go to their city, Brasov. At first, I was a little hesitant, but after reading this post I guess I am going to give it a try. I love nature (vampires, too!) and I would like to see what this place can offer. I had a great time reading the comments as well. Thank you for making this.

Anna,
Do NOT hesitate at all……..RUN to Romania. I am American and it was always my dream to see Romania at some point in my life. Well this summer I fulfilled that dream and went in July. Let me just say, this country is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries I have ever been to. Simply stunning. Brasov was one of the cities we stayed in and it is truly breathtaking, warm, and welcoming. But don’t just take my word, go and see for yourself. I promise you won’t be disappointed. My only regret is that I only had a week to spend in this misunderstood country. 🙂

I plan on going back,too. I didn’t get to spend much time in Bucharest and would like to see more of it. Hopefully I’ll include that in my travels to Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czehk Republic in the next year or two. Romania definitely deserves more time for exploring; there’s just so much beauty to take in. 🙂

Thank you so much for this review. I feel like nobody’s really seeing the great potential in Romania.
Next time you come here, you should visit Timisoara too (the city where the revolution started). I’d be happy to show you around.

P.S.: Today’s our national day. Thank you, Romania, for being such a great home

Its a great post. I just started planning my summer vacation sitting in office looking at Euro map and suddenly thought “why not Romania”. Started searching for the details and there is your comprehensive write-up answering most of the queries.

I shall be visiting in July or August for 10 days. I am into hiking & landscape photography and colors, mountains and nature inspire me a lot. My previous experiences to such places in Europe include Switzerland (Jungfrau, Zermatt, St Moritz & Lucerne) & Austria (Salzburg & St Wolfgang). Can you please recommend me a few places of this sort in Romania.

Romania is great for all of those things! I would definitely recommend Sighisoara for the colors, and Brasov for mountains. The Maramures region in northern Romania is also very beautiful as far as landscapes go, though you really can’t go wrong anywhere in Transylvania when it comes to mountains!

As Romania is becoming a well known touristic destination, so is Bucharest and all it’s attractions. Bucharest’s charm lies not necessarily in it’s sightseeing but in it’s stories and way of living. That’s why some of us locals have gathered together to form BUCHAREST GREETERS, which is a volunteering programme offering FREE TOUR GUIDES but most importantly we offer the chance for tourists to hang out with locals and hear their stories. It’s a great way to uncover the city’s uniqueness.
If you’re looking for a unique experience and want to SEE FOR YOURSELF what Bucharest has in store you can get in touch with us at http://bucharestgreeters.ro/ or check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bucharestgreeters . We’re looking forward to sharing our passion for the city where anything is possible – Bucharest!
BUCHAREST GREETERS is a proud member of the Global Greeter Network.

I am surprised to see that your post encouraged so many people to come to Romania and it still does , good job . I am also happy that my country is growing quite good in tourism and people are welcoming them all.Besides the main attractions like Brasov , Sibiu and Sighisoara there are at least 10 cities or 50 villages more interesting 🙂 Prince Charles seems to have it in for Viscri, a very small village that no one heard about until he bought houses there.
Most of the travelers come to Brasov , Sighisoara and head back to Bucharest , but i recommend to my tourists always some rural parts that never seen tourists 🙂 It`s a surprise from both sides .
Also i would say that Romania is a lot about traditions , even if we have more expensive cars then London we still do things like 40 years ago and that is not bad because some of them are quite more interesting that way 🙂 and it`s also a good chance to show to the young ones how things where done in the past.

I’m so happy to see that you enjoyed our beautiful country. Romania does have a lot to offer and what I would recommend to everyone is to visit the least explored places. You will have a nice surprise.

I just love how you disregarded the vampire and communist attributes that everyone seems to give to my country and saw Romania as it really is: a beautiful country with a diversity of breath taking natural landscapes, history monuments, full of traditions and welcoming people. Your post is mind opening for both foreign tourists and romanians alike because i have to shamefully admit that i have yet to see many places in my country.

You should definitely see more of your country! It’s a beautiful one. I understand, though – we tend to think of “travel” as going somewhere different and new. But you can totally travel in your own country, too!

Well, they are people. And they live in Romania. I realize many Romanians don’t like the gypsy population. But they DO live in your country and you WILL see them there. That’s kind of like saying black people living in the US aren’t Americans – they most certainly are.

I’m glad you liked Romania so much and it’s worth mentioning that this country will develop further into becoming an imporant travel destination in Eastern Europe. And since Halloween is approaching, why not trying to find some real vampires in Transylvania? That’s a joke obviously, but the medieval castles and fortresses are definitelty worth visiting.

I just discovered your blog while looking for information about travelling solo in Scotland. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can afford Scotland but now I am considering Romania for the end of June 2016. I hope it is still (and will be)affordable. At 53, I feel I would be out of place in youth hostels, but I am sure I’ll be able to find nice and cheap hostels or B&B.

Hi, Amanda! Wonderful words about Romania. I just find your blog and I see a lot of people are interested to visit my country. For those without much time at their disposal or those who don’t want to spend hours searching for infos, prices and so on, we can help them. Triptkts.ro is not a travel agency but can offer counselling and can organize an entire trip through Romania. If this sounds like an ad please remove it. Anyway its nice to see positive articles about Romania and thank you again for this.

I don’t care that it’s affordable, I don’t care about transportation etc … I only care that in Romania you can go to many natural areas where you can walk all day without trail of civilization. Or you can see really old villages and people working with their hands on the fields!

Hello Amanda,
Thank you for your beautiful words about Romania. For those who want to travel in this country and have a great time feeling the unspoiled nature and experience the traditions, landmarks and attractions, I recommend http://www.surprisingromaniatravel.com. The site belongs to a Romanian travel agency (Surprising Travel) that is specialized in tours for foreign tourists.

Thank you very much Amanda for promoting our country!
Romania is still a peaceful and full of hospitality country!
It’s a wonderful cheap country!
For everyone having doubts about visiting Romania please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Hello everyone! 🙂 I am Canadian and I must say this country is gorgeous!!!. I visited Bucharest and its old centers, such as The Old Town (Centrul Vechi), Brasov, Timisoara, Sinaia, Onesti, Comanesti, Sascut and, Constanta. I would definitely recommend to all people to visit it as much as they can! There are medieval towns, architectures, statues, cafes, restaurants, ski resorts, beach resorts (Black sea), etc. They also that gigantic parlament in Bucharest called Casa Poporului and it is the 2nd largest building in the world by area. The people are very friendly, welcoming, intelligent and multilingual. They speak Romanian (A romance/Latin language, very similar the next languages except for English), Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English The women are very gorgeous there!! I booked my plane ticket to go there again this summer. My top destinations will be Bucharest, Sighisoara, Poiana Brasov, Constanta, Timisoara, Bacau, Onesti and Delta Dunarii. I will also visit the country side. Enjoy your vacation there for people who will visit Romania soon!

Love this! Romania is very high on my list of countries to visit, and you’re making it worse!Besides the mention of palinka… I had more than my share in Hungary, and it remains one of my greatest fears.

I was thinking of Romania to visit next summer. I was not sure about it till I read your article. I really became motivated and excited to definitely visit it. thanks for the article (y)
I have a question about the expenses. I want to stay there for around three months. Do you think I can afford living and travelling there for a budget of around 300 Euro a month?

Get to Know Me

I’m just a small-town Ohio girl trying to balance a “normal” life with a desire to discover the world beyond my Midwest bubble. I aim to inspire people to find ways to fit more travel and adventure into the lifestyle they already have. Learn more about me here.